Mankar in the Forest
Chapter 1 Despite his new role, Mankar did not spend all his time on the river! He still had many things to learn as a young person of the village and free time was plentiful as well. Today, he was 'hunting' with some of the other children. Though not very likely, a sharp-eyed child could bring down a squirrel or (even more rarely), an unwary bird with a thrown rock. Mankar usually kept a half-dozen or so stones on the off chance of a lucky find but he found the weapon to be lacking. After a particularly near miss he shook his fist in frustration. “Argh! I'm tired of this! I'm ready for a real weapon!” Most of the others agreed but one boy shook his head. “Your year is coming soon enough... first of all of us. Why rush?” “Why, Dalen? You say why? Why not?! I'm ready now and age is a mere number. My arm is strong and my wind is good. What more do I need?” None of his friends dared mention that he woefully short for even the smallest set of armor available... especially not after that last fight! Dalen actually laughed! “Ready or not, we don't make the rules... nor do you! You'll have years and years to heft a shield and swing a sword, right?” None of this was arguable but Mankar wanted to argue anyway even though he knew it was unreasonable. “But what if a need happens before then? A beast could attack, moon cultists could find us or,” he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper, “a chaos-tainted broo could be hiding nearby, ready to attack!” Just then, as if called, bushes nearby rattled loudly! Half the kids ran while Mankar hefted his rock... the only weapon he had of course. Dalen, braver than most, stood with him as well but he was hefting a stout stick that he liked to carry. Suddenly, a furry shape burst from the bushes, causing both boys to jump back! Only after a breathless second did Dalen start to laugh. “Apparently, the mighty chaos monster has long ears and a fuzzy tail! Ha ha ha ha ha!” “Well, it could have been a chaos... ummm... rabbit. Or something.” “I'm going to go find those cowards and make fun of them now. You coming?” Mankar shook his head, “I want to see if I can get a rock into something before going back.” “Don't let the broos bite! Ha ha ha!” Dalen walked back to the village, still laughing to himself. Chapter 2 Mankar thought that the rabbits sudden appearance was odd. Typically they would hide or jump away but this one had jumped toward them. What was behind it? He hunkered down and made his way through the underbrush, barely squeezing through where the lapine had fit easily. After following the trail, he finally came a bloody tableau. A wolf and an alynx, both dead in a small clearing. Obviously they had fought each other and died from their wounds... but why? Normally an alynx, if it was in any serious danger, could just run escape. He couldn't imagine a single wolf doing this. Mankar listened carefully to hear if another wolf was nearby.. or even a pack! The woods, however, were silent but for a whisper of wind. With careful feet, he moved closer, scanning the surrounding. With little effort, he found four more dead wolves. He thought, “The alynx could have escaped... eh, another one?” A few paces beyond the dead wolves he came across another alynx, somewhat smaller than the first. Two more wolf bodies were present and the stench of blood was everywhere. “They fought to the death.” Just then the smaller alynx began to move slightly, giving lie to his words? He approached cautiously in case the wounded creature lashed out in fear. Yinkin, father of all alynx, was the blood brother of Orlanth and, if possible, Mankar wanted to help this creature. The glassy-eyed stare seemed to belie any life, though. When he got closer, a small head poked from under the body, solving the mystery. He rolled the adult over, revealing three kittens total. Their eyes were still closed and all three were covered in blood but only one actually seemed to be injured. “They couldn't escape with you so they had to fight, huh?” Smelling something new, and no longer covered by their mother, they all began mewing piteously. Frowning, he made up his mind. “I can't leave you here. I'll take you back to the holt.” He emptied his bag of the useful things he normally carried and carefully put the squirming kittens inside and reslung it so that was across his chest for safety. He couldn't do anything for the injured alynx and hoped just getting back home would be good enough. The bag now threw off his gait and the extra care he had to take made him slower and less stealthy than before. Ironically, he felt the need for speed – and silence – more than ever because the threat of more wolves was ever-present. As if responding to his fears, he heard a howl from behind him, sending a chill down his back! “Winds take them! If I can hear them, they can reach me first!” He looked around desperately and, on sudden inspiration, decided to mimic Yinkin and started scaling a nearby tree. And none too soon for a pair of red-eyed beasts burst into the clearing not a heartbeat after his feet left the ground. Several desperate seconds later he was out of reach of even their most prodigious leaps. The cries of the kittens seemed to drive them crazy but eventually they were reduced to just pacing below and occasionally looking up and growling. Mankar yelled to the wolves, “Just leave you two! You can't get up here and you'll just hungrier. I'm not coming down!” The creatures just growled in response and seemed willing to wait forever. “This isn't going to be easy.” The boy frowned and tried to soothe the alynx cubs to quiet them down. Two sniffed his hand curiously but the third was unmoving. “Maybe I can convince them to go or outwait them?” He happened to be in a fruit tree and pulled one of them off and tasted it. “Eagh! Sour! I can't live off these.” A wicked gleam entered his eye. Without a second's hesitation, he pelted it at the closer wolf, catching it on the muzzle by chance. The wolf yelped and then started snarling furiously, jumping as high as he could to get up the tree. But he couldn't get within a foot of Mankar even with his strongest efforts. To relieve his stress, Mankar cut a stick from a smaller branch and would try to hit the beast's head when it jumped too high. “Well, this is fun, but I don't have time.” He looked around to see if there was another way out. The trees were dense here and he could move between some of the trees but they thinned out long before he could get home. The boy eyed the beasts below who stared back balefully. “It seems I have to take a chance.” Chapter 3 Mankar's heart was beating rapidly... not from fear, but from excitement! His plan was risky, but was the only thing he could think of to save both himself and his new charges. Fortunately, the trees in this area were relatively large and unusually close together otherwise he would be doomed before he started. “Okay, kittens, hold on!” Nimble as a squirrel, the boy raced down the large branch and leaped for the next tree! Landing adroitly, he stabilized himself ignoring the insane commotion from the wolves below. In this way, he led the creatures to a progressively rockier area away from home. This was bad because the trees became smaller and grew farther apart, but it was all necessary if his scheme was going to work. He had played in this area in the past (and somewhat past the boundaries set by the adults). “I think it's around here... ah, there it is! Let's get everything ready.” As certain as shadows (but noisier), the wolves still followed below. They got excited every time he made a jump but were getting more crazed as he went successfully from tree to tree. He took the last few fruits from his bag (again disturbing the kittens who had actually been quiet for a few minutes) and assaulted the wolves with all his might, driving them wild as the hard fruits hit their heads and bodies. When he had them thoroughly incensed, then ran to the end of the branch and jumped for the next tree! “Umath lift me!” he prayed as he reached for the branch. Until the last second, he didn't know if he would reach and then his hands managed to grab it! Mankar felt like his arms would dislocate and the kittens complained loudly. Strained as they were, he couldn't pull himself into the tree. Mad to finally kill this annoyance, the wolves rushed over to bite his legs hanging easily in reach... until they fell into the ravine hidden by the underbrush! They tumbled and yelped as they fell down the narrow but deep crack in the ground. He glanced down... both were still alive but there was no way to climb out and one looked like it had a hurt leg. “Ha ha! Count yourself lucky that I don't have my adult tools yet or your skins would make me a new cloak!” With that last taunt, he made his way back to the village quickly in case there were others of the pack still alive in the area. Chapter 4 Though safely away from the wolves, Mankar was at a loss on what to do next. He knew as much about raising an alynx as he did about broo biology. Less perhaps, as he at least knew what to do with broos (i.e. kill them)... but what was good for these kittens? Then he remembered the Yinkin cult... they were near the village. Surely they would know something about this! The Yinkini shared a simple hut outside the boundaries of the village because of the rules (and threats) of the matriarch. Along with their alynx allies, they lived an easy life as they were skilled hunters and otherwise spent most of their days in idleness and various entertainments. As luck would have it, the Rune Priest himself was in residence, napping in the sun. He opened an eye lazily as the boy approached, curious as to why one of the villagers would come out here. None of the Firstborn had shown an interest in his cult and the Nextborn were all a bit young to be making such decisions. He was about to make an amusing (for him) and embarrassing (for the boy) remark when he heard the sound of mewing... and the smell of blood. “Boy! Do you come on clumsy feet with stolen kittens?” His voice was a low growl and the grin he sported was anything but friendly. “Are you trying to curry favor with a blood-covered tribute?” Briefly cowed, Mankar stood tall and lifted his chin. “No, never priest! Their parents are dead and I rescued them from wolves.” He opened the sack and pulled out two of the cubs. Still blood-covered but healthy and nosing around blindly. He sucked in a breath as he gently revealed the last – and largest – cub. Sometime in the last run to the village, it had stopped breathing. Mankar never cried when upset, or when he got beaten up or even when he fell from the top of the tallest building and broke both of his legs but he was crying now. “That's not fair! I tried so hard!” The runepriest touched the still body, “Still warm.” He examined its paws and rubbed a finger along the bloody snout of the dead kitten and sniffed it. “Wolf blood. So young and still so fierce!” He made an instant decision, a trait common to his god, “Boy, have you ever seen one of the great rune magics?” Mankar rubbed the tears away with the back of his hand. “No, I don't think so, priest.” “Prepare yourself then! Watch the power of the great god Yinkin!” He touched the kitten and growled again, but this time in words that the youngster couldn't understand. If they were words at all. “This brave soul has only taken a few steps outside of the body. But with god magic, live again!” Light gathered in his hand and motes drifted onto the still fur. Mankar felt like something big – and powerful – had walked between them. The silent presence, invisible – but just barely – drew closer to the kitten and finally touched it. Suddenly, the kitten let out a mew and opened its eyes! Light shone from there in broad daylight and then, oh so slowly, they closed again. The boy could just make out a soft purring as the kitten slept. “It, it will be okay?” The man smiled, more friendly this time. “Yes, but it will sleep for a very long time. Death is not so simple a foe!” He smirked as he thought of something. “The spell would differ for you or I but the effect is equally miraculous.” “I'm glad you could help. Thank you.” “Ha! There is no need for thanks between us. You have earned a great merit today! When you have gotten a worthy name, come back and I might show you a trick or two.” Seeing that the kittens were taken care off, Mankar rushed off to tell his family what had happened and, as his stomach reminded him, to get some dinner! As the priest gathered the alynxes for further care, he murmured to the air, “Ah, Great Cat, I have met two interesting cubs today.” He felt a warm breath on his shoulder in agreement but, of course, saw nothing.